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墨書 Inktalez
Cheng Zhong glanced at me, shook his head, and sighed helplessly. "Sigh, Jiang Ling, your master went to the Underworld two years ago and hasn't been seen since. No one knows where he went."
"For the past two years, we've been keeping the store manager's disappearance a secret while searching for him, but until now, we haven't found any trace of him."
I furrowed my brow and interrupted Cheng Zhong, speaking with certainty. "Cheng Bo, that's not right. Master clearly contacted me not long ago and told me to protect Qu Liang's safety. He couldn't possibly be missing."
Cheng Zhong shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Jiang Ling, those messages were written by me imitating the store manager's handwriting. I did it on purpose to get you to come to Ghost Street this year for the Ghost Festival. It was a decision made by me and Jiang Bao, but later we changed our plans and didn't want you to get involved."
Hearing Cheng Zhong's words left my mind blank; I never expected things to be this way. I quietly watched him, waiting for him to continue.
Cheng Zhong paused for a moment before continuing. "Over the past two years, Jiang Bao and I have been working hard to maintain the normal operation of the shop so that outsiders wouldn't notice anything unusual. In the first year, Jiang Bao worked tirelessly to fulfill customer orders, and nothing unexpected happened in the shop, so no one realized the manager was missing."
"But good times didn't last long. In March of this year, news of the manager's disappearance leaked out. Jiang Bao and I tried to contain it, but it was too late; everyone in Ghost Street already knew."
"Afterward, Jiang Bao and I discussed it and decided to make you the next store manager and give you the Heritage Sword to stabilize the situation." At this point, Cheng Zhong carefully examined me before sighing in disappointment. "Jiang Ling, your strength is too weak. Even if you became the owner, you wouldn't have the power to ensure the shop's safety. So Jiang Bao decided to let you leave Ghost Street while he shouldered everything alone."
"There are rules in Ghost Street: every year during the Ghost Festival, there can be a competition for ownership of the shop. Those who got wind of it have rushed here today, wanting to defeat Jiang Bao and become the new owner of our shop." Cheng Zhong's expression turned particularly grim as he shook his head weakly. "This time looks dire; Jiang Bao doesn't have much chance of holding onto the shop. Jiang Ling, you should leave."
After hearing Cheng Zhong's explanation, I finally understood how serious things had become in Ghost Street. I shook my head firmly and said, "Cheng Bo, I won't leave. I want to stay and help protect Master's shop with you!"
Seeing my determined attitude, Cheng Zhong realized that persuading me was futile and could only let me stay. He patted my head with a smile on his face and said, "Jiang Ling, you've grown up. If you want to stay, then stay. But be careful later on. Flash Dance Network."
Cheng Zhong and I stood in front of the shop for a while when a mage dressed in a Daoist robe approached us and said, "Cheng Zhong, it's past twelve o'clock now; it's already the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month. Shouldn't you step aside?"
I glanced at the mage and instantly recognized his identity; he was my Shishu, Wu Jingye.
"Oh, Jiang Ling, you're here too. Your cultivation has been crippled, yet you still dare to stand here. You've got quite the nerve," Wu Jingye said as our eyes met. His tone dripped with disdain. "I had originally planned to use you against Jiang Bao, but since you've been rendered powerless, it looks like I'll have to take matters into my own hands."
Wu Jingye took out a jade pendant from his possession and waved it in front of Cheng Zhong. "Cheng Zhong, this is my token, given to me by my senior brother. According to the rules of Ghost Street, I should have the opportunity to compete for the position of shop owner this time."
In Ghost Street, each shop could issue a certain number of tokens. As long as one possessed the token from a particular shop, they had the chance to challenge the owner of that shop. The jade pendant in Wu Jingye's hand was one of the tokens issued by my master.
Cheng Zhong took the jade pendant from Wu Jingye and examined it closely. After confirming its authenticity, he placed it into his pocket without returning it to Wu Jingye, as that pendant was the price for him to gain an opportunity.
Looking into Wu Jingye's eyes, Cheng Zhong expressed his disappointment. "Wu Jingye, the shop owner treated you so well before, yet you would stab him in the back. I truly feel sorry for him."
With that, Cheng Zhong ignored Wu Jingye and walked to the front of the shop, shouting loudly, "Today is July 15th, Ghost Festival. According to the rules of Ghost Street, anyone who presents our shop's token can challenge our shop owner's disciple. If you achieve victory, then this shop will belong to you."
"Those who wish to challenge should present their tokens now. After one hour, I will no longer accept tokens and will announce the method of challenge."
As soon as Cheng Zhong finished speaking, people began stepping forward one after another with jade pendants in hand. The majority were mages from Daoist Sect and High Monks from Buddhist Sect; others were in the minority.
I glanced at Wu Jingye beside me and said irritably, "Wu Jingye, you've gone through so much trouble trying to seize this shop, but unfortunately for you, your strength is the weakest among this group. You have no chance at all."
To be honest, Wu Jingye's cultivation in Daoist Sect was not high at all. Even if I only used Daoist Sect spells, I could easily defeat him. I couldn't understand why he was so much weaker than my master.
A sickly smile appeared on Wu Jingye's face as he burst into maniacal laughter. "Haha! It doesn't matter if I can't obtain it; as long as I see this shop isn't in my senior brother's hands, I'll be satisfied!"
I saw Wu Jingye's expression and finally understood that there must be some intention behind the relationship between him and my master. I shook my head and chose to ignore Wu Jingye.
Time passed quickly, and Cheng Zhong had received a total of seventy-three jade tokens. His pockets were overflowing, and in the end, he had no choice but to take out a wooden box to stuff all the tokens inside.
A shop's token is usually only given to trusted individuals by the shopkeeper, which is why there were so many Taoist Masters and Buddhist Monks among this group.
"I remember the shopkeeper issued a total of eighty jade tokens. I didn't expect so many people to show up this time; it really surprises me," Cheng Zhong said coldly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd in front of him. He even recognized many familiar faces, which filled him with anger.
"Since you have made your choice, let's begin. I hope you won't regret it," Cheng Zhong concluded, turning around and leading the crowd into the shop.
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